Communication in the Workplace · a missed call, would also improve communications within the business. In summary, the research indicates that the key to ensuring successful and

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Communication in the Workplace

Results of the Survey on Communications at Work

conducted for NEC Philips Unified Solutions

August 2008


Communication in the Workplace

September 2008

Effective business communications are essential for achieving optimum collaboration in an organisation.

However, effective business communications are often dependent on the a wide range of factors

including: communication skills amongst staff; a willingness to pick up the phone; an up-to-date

contact list and simply being able to find the person you wish to talk to.

NEC Philips Unified Solutions undertook a piece of research to understand what, from this wide range of

factors, are the key barriers preventing businesses achieving the optimum collaboration. In addition

what do employees find annoying when communicating in their workplace, what needs to be addressed

in order to make business communication less frustrating.

During the month of August a total of 700 online interviews were completed across Europe in:

• UK

• France

• Germany

• Belgium

• Netherlands

• Italy

• Spain

In addition the research targeted specific job functions where communication is key for their job role:

• Receptionist/Operator/Call Centre Agent

• Professional (e.g. Accountant, Lawyer, Consultant)

• Sales/Marketing

• Department Manager

Respondents were asked to consider what they see as being the main communication barrier preventing

their business achieving optimum success. They were also asked to rate the workplace communication

factors they find most annoying (from both a business and personal point of view).

Detailed below are the findings from the research presented at both a country specific and job function

level.


The Top Three Communication Barriers Preventing Businesses Achieving Optimum Success

1. Lack of Communication Skills Amongst Staff

Overall, 34% stated that a lack of communication skills amongst staff was the main communication

barrier preventing the business achieving optimum effectiveness/success.

The lack of communication skills amongst staff is more apparent in France where almost (45%) stated a

lack of communication skills as the main barrier.

This lack of communication skills amongst staff is also seen by respondents as letting the business down

when it communicates with its customers (29%).

In fact over a third of respondents in Germany, France, Belgium and the UK said that a lack of

communication skills let the business down. The percentage in Spain was significantly lower, where just

15% stated a lack of communication skills amongst staff as a factor letting the business down.


The research also found that a lack of communication skills amongst staff is considered to be less of a

problem by those in a Professional job function. Although interestingly, this job function is just as likely

to consider it as being a factor that lets down the business down when it communicates with its

customers.

2. Company culture/conservative attitude towards new methods/solutions

28% pointed to the company culture/conservative attitude towards new methods/solutions as the main

communication barrier preventing the business achieving optimum effectiveness and success.

This barrier is more present amongst Italian respondents where 48% ranked it highest (compared to

28% in Europe overall), it appears to be less of an issue in France and Germany.

In Germany they are more likely to consider staff receiving too many emails a communication barrier as

opposed to company culture (28% vs. 19%).


Amongst the job functions the research indicates that company culture and conservative attitudes are

considered a barrier more frequently amongst Department Managers (37% compared to an overall

average of 28%). It was considered a barrier by just 19% of Receptionists/Operators/Call Centre Agents.

3. Our company is located in various buildings/locations/countries

Overall 26% of respondents stated the company being located across various buildings/locations and

countries was a communication barrier preventing optimum effectiveness/success. This is slightly higher

in the Netherlands and Belgium but significantly lower in France, where they are more likely to consider

their IT system as a communication barrier (25% vs. 16%).


The company being located across various buildings/locations/countries is considered more of a barrier

preventing optimum effectiveness/success for those in a Receptionist/Operator/Call Centre Agent job

function, this is not surprising given they are the most likely to be using the telephone system, trying to

find people and transferring calls.

The Top Three Business Annoyances in the Work place (from a business point of view)

1. Calls or messages not being answered/ignored

From a business point of view, the biggest communication annoyance respondents experience is calls or

messages not being answered/ignored. Respondents in Spain are more likely to rate this as their biggest

communication annoyance (36% compared to an average of 27%), where in Italy this is just 19%. In Italy

a lack of technology within the business was a bigger annoyance than calls being missed/not answered

(24% vs. 19%)


Calls or messages not being answered/ignored is the biggest business communication annoyance across

all the job functions with no significant difference between them.

2. Calls being transferred to the wrong person

19% stated calls being transferred to the wrong person as their biggest communication annoyance from

a business point of view. This annoyance occurs more frequently in Germany (24% compared to the 19%

average).


Calls being transferred to the wrong person appears to be less of an issue for Professionals and

Department Managers.

3. Lack of technology within the business

19% of respondents stated that lack of technology within the business was the biggest communication

problem, this is significantly less of an issue in the UK and Spain.

In the UK being unable to contact people when you want to is more of an issue than lack of technology

(28% vs. 9%) , where as in Spain it is poor internal contact detail lists (19% vs. 8%).


Across the job functions there are no significant differences in those rating lack of technology as their

biggest communication annoyance: Receptionists/Operators/Call Centre Agents 17%; Professionals 17%;

Sales/Marketing 20% and Department Managers 16%.

The Top Three Business Annoyances in the Work place (from a personal point of view)

1. People being slow to respond to emails/messages

At an overall level, people being slow to respond to emails/messages is the biggest communication

irritant respondents face (from a personal point of view).

In the Netherlands having to repeatedly leave voice mails/messages is a bigger factor (21% vs. 16%),

where as in Spain a lack of understanding of the telephone/email system is considered more annoying

(21% vs. 16%) than people being slow to respond to emails/messages. In Belgium people being slow to

respond to emails/messages also receives a low score however, it is still considered the biggest

communication issue (from a personal point of view).

Slow response is the biggest source of irritation across all the job functions, however it is more so

amongst Professionals. Some might argue this is to be expected given that within their job function they

will often rely on communications from others in order to complete tasks.


2. Lack of understanding of the telephone/email system

Overall, lack of understanding of the telephone/email system is the second biggest issue(from a

personal point of view) and is more common in Germany and Spain. In the UK just 4% rated it as their

biggest problem. This could possibly indicate that in the UK they have sufficient training or that they

have a less sophisticated system. In the UK being cc’d into emails unnecessarily is a bigger annoyance

(14% vs. 4%).

At a job function level there is no significant difference between them, with them all equally finding lack

of understanding the telephone/email system annoying: Professionals 14%;

Receptionists/Operators/Call Centre Agents 13%; Department Manager 12%; Sales/Marketing 11%.


3. Having to repeatedly leave voice mails/messages

Having to repeatedly leave voice mails/messages is a communication issue for 13% of respondents (the

3rd

biggest overall). This is a significantly bigger problem in the Netherlands (21% compared to the

average of 13%).

In the UK having difficulty in contacting people is more of an annoyance than repeatedly leaving voice

mails (10% vs. 6%).

People in Sales/Marketing are more likely to have a problem with repeatedly having to leave voice

mails/messages. Professionals and Department Managers are less likely to have a problem with this.


People at the centre of communications

The research indicates that people are at the centre of achieving effective communication and

collaboration in the workplace.

Respondents considered the main barrier preventing their business achieving optimum effectiveness/

success is a lack of communication skills amongst staff. This lack of skills is at a level where a third of

respondents believe it even lets the business down when it communicates with its customers.

People continue to be at the centre of business communications when looking at the biggest

communication annoyances in the workplace. Respondents find people being slow to respond to

emails/messages as their biggest annoyance (from a personal point of view) and from a business

perspective, they become frustrated when people do not answer/ignore calls.

Technology itself is considered as being less of a barrier although it does have some impact. 26% stated

that their company being located across various buildings/locations and countries as the main

communication barrier preventing optimum effectiveness/success, one could argue that with sufficient

technology in place this would not as big an issue.

However, few rated factors such as customers having more advanced communications than their

company and the telephone system in place as communication barriers.


It is in fact a lack of technology that annoys people as opposed to technology itself, 19% of respondents

stated a lack of technology within their business as their biggest communication problem.

This suggests that the introduction of the appropriate technology could improve people’s

communication skills and overcome the biggest communication frustrations people faced.

When questioned 28% felt the introduction of new technologies such as Instant Messenger would make

people quicker to respond to communications (overcoming one of the biggest issues; slow response).

50% of respondents felt the introduction of a caller identification system whereby when your desk

phone begins to ring a small pop-up window will tell you who is calling (name and number) allowing you

to click-to-answer or if you prefer you can chose one of your other numbers (mobile phone, home

phone) and have the call automatically diverted would improve communications within their business.

In addition 44% felt a missed call alert function, where people would receive an email notifying them of

a missed call, would also improve communications within the business.

In summary, the research indicates that the key to ensuring successful and effective communication

collaboration within a business is to ensure staff have the communication skills needed. Staff will be less

frustrated by communication in the workplace if people responded to emails and messages quicker, if

calls weren’t ignored and transferred to the wrong person.

The introduction of technology could potentially assist in overcoming these frustrations and in fact a

lack of technology in the business is a big annoyance itself.

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Communication in the Workplace · a missed call, would also improve communications within the business. In summary, the research indicates that the key to ensuring successful and